Descending from Your Falsetto Singing Voice

Moving out of your falsetto down to your middle voice and chest singing voice requires practice to be performed smoothly without straining your voice. The goal of this exercise is to use the easy feeling of falsetto and get your notes in your middle voice to have that same ease of sound without pressure.

The following illustration allows you to flip out of falsetto down into your chest voice so you can really feel the difference between them. After you experience the flip, you can develop smooth transitions by gliding down from falsetto instead of falling down. You may want to visualize the lower note in front of you to prevent the bottom note from falling down and creating a big crack between the notes.

When the notes in your middle voice are feeling easy, you want to find that same sensation of moving from falsetto to head voice with ease. The long-term benefit is that you’ll be able to easily sing a song or musical pattern that moves from middle voice to head voice because you know how to thin out your rubber band. The shift may be bumpy in the beginning, and that’s normal.

As the transitions get smoother, you can make the shift more easily. Go ahead and let it bump for now. Preventing the bump entirely prevents you from feeling the difference between the two sounds.

Using the pattern in the following illustration, sing from your falsetto and flip down into your middle voice (or chest voice) on the last five repetitions of the pattern on the CD. Let the sound flip and make a noticeable change. You want to allow big changes when you move between the pitches in the beginning. The more you work this transition, the more confident you’ll feel making a smooth transition later.

In this pattern (see below illustration), sing the first note in falsetto and slide down into your middle voice (or chest voice, on the last three repetitions) on the vowels, as written. You may feel confused in the beginning when you’re making the transitions.

To help smooth the transition, think of gliding down or sliding between the notes, and gradually open the space in your throat as you slide down. Give yourself some time to explore a smooth transition as you descend in pitch. The more you practice, the more secure you’ll feel moving down out of falsetto.